Fatal truck accident on I-40 kills driver, passenger

Posted on behalf of the Law Offices of Ogle, Elrod and Baril, PLLC on July 16th, 2014

A fatal accident in Tennessee has left a Staten Island, New York, woman dead as she was traveling through the state. The victim, age 34, was involved in a fatal truck accident while she was driving to her new job in Texas. The fatal accident occurred on July 2 at about 3 p.m., when the woman was struck by a commercial vehicle. A passenger in the woman’s vehicle was also killed in the wreck.

The victim in this case was traveling on Interstate 40 in Tennessee when she was struck from behind by a freight truck as traffic slowed. That larger vehicle smashed into the rear end of the victim’s car, propelling it into the rear end of a tractor-trailer rig that was in front of her. The multi-vehicle accident occurred just outside of Jackson, Tennessee, according to news reports.

An investigation is ongoing in the matter, and it is not clear whether the driver of the freight truck was impaired, distracted or fatigued at the time of the fatal truck accident. A variety of factors can play a role in such a devastating wreck; negligent drivers certainly take many forms. Sadly, the at-fault driver in this case took the life of a vivacious young woman who, by all accounts, should have had a bright future ahead of her.

The woman was a graduate of Shenandoah University, and she was employed as a respiratory therapist in New York. That victim and her friend were traveling to Texas to get the woman’s household established before she started a new job. Family members say the woman was outgoing, determined and funny, with hobbies including cooking and making up her friends.

No family should have to suffer through such a tragic incident. Victims who have lost loved ones because of truck drivers’ negligence deserve to be compensated through the civil courts. These relatives may be entitled to financial compensation for their emotional distress and pain and suffering through civil court claims.